Date:26/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/26/stories/2008022658370200.htm

I travel in city buses at least once a week and without exception, find them crowded at all times. In one such journey, I found the seat meant for senior citizens occupied by another passenger and sat down in a ladies seat.

When a lady passenger arrived, the conductor very unceremoniously asked me to vacate the seat.

In another trip, I found a lady, seemingly well-educated, occupying one of the two seats marked for senior citizens.

Instead of moving aside, she yelled at me asking me to find a seat in the back.

The note put up near the senior citizens seat says that in case there is no senior citizen, the right to sit should go to a lady.

However, its interpretation is quite equivocal.

When a lady occupies the seat first, she would not get up even on sighting a senior citizen.

Instead, she will show the notice above the seat. Even conductors are more considerate towards ladies than towards old people.

Instead of increasing the quota of the seats, the problem could be solved by increasing the number of buses in general and ladies buses in particular.

At least two rows of seats in each bus should be left for the senior citizens and enforcement of this should be entrusted to the conductors.

Identity cards may be issued to old people for the ascertainment of their age.

N.Narasimha Rao,

Vanasthalipuram